Co Antrim town named one of UK's rainiest seaside areas

People walk along the coastal path as waves break along the shore in Portrush, Northern Ireland, on December 24, 2013.

A town in Co Antrim has been named one of the UK’s rainiest seaside destinations.

Portrush has been revealed as the fifth rainiest seaside town in the UK, with analysis of Met Office figures from 1991 to 2020 highlighting the seaside areas which see the most rain.

The seaside resort of Portrush has an average of 81mm of rainfall each month, with almost half the year – 181 days – seeing more than 1mm of daily rainfall. There are an average of 15 days per month where it rains in the North Coast town.

Two other spots in Northern Ireland also feature on the top 20 list of rainiest seaside locations. These are the villages of Killowen and Helen’s Bay, both in Co Down, with a monthly average of 88mm and 81mm of rainfall respectively, and an average of 13 days of rainfall per month.

On average, the analysis shows seaside towns are actually drier than the rest of the UK. They get an average of 75mm of rainfall a month, compared to 97mm for the rest of the country.

The findings were compiled by Sykes Holiday Cottages and former BBC weather presenter, Owain Wyn Evans, after research of 2,000 adults found 72 per cent don’t let typical wet UK weather get in the way of a good staycation.

Moreover, 61 per cent don’t think it would be a staycation if it didn’t rain, with sightseeing (53 per cent), strolls along the pier (37 per cent), and tucking into fish and chips on the seafront (30 per cent) among the activities they would do regardless.

Graham Donoghue, chief executive at Sykes Holiday Cottages, which has also created a Rainy Day Guide to Seaside Towns with wet weather activity inspiration, said: “Rain is often part and parcel of a UK holiday, but our latest research shows that wet weather isn’t necessarily a dampener on people’s staycation experiences.

“We’ve found that rain can create lots of opportunity to do things UK travellers may not have otherwise considered.

“You don’t need to shy away from the wet weather while on staycation – in fact, you may find you get to know your chosen location better than you would’ve in the sunshine by spending more time with the local community in pubs, restaurants, and local eateries.”

The study also found 34 per cent have ‘rainy day’ plans in their back pocket for a staycation, with visiting a restaurant or café, a local pub, or museums among the most popular choices.

And despite knowing there’s a strong chance of rain during a staycation, half of holidaymakers are happy to book a getaway anyway because they want to explore more of the UK.

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